DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (129/08) issued by
The Government News Network on 7 May 2008
Applications from
Northumbrian Water to vary the treatment of sewage discharges from
six sewage works in the north east will not be 'called
in' for a decision by the Secretary of State for the Environment.
Sewage discharges to coastal waters must be granted consent by
the Environment Agency and objectors to consent proposals can
request that the Secretary of State call in an application for his
own consideration if they believe that the Environment Agency has
not addressed their concerns.
To qualify for a call-in, the proposed discharges must be of more
than regional significance and must raise novel or unusual issues
which have not been publicly debated in another context. The
Secretary of State found that the Northumbrian Water applications
did not meet these criteria.
Objections were made to Northumbrian Water's proposal to
change its existing consents of year-round ultra violet treatment
at six sites to treatment on a seasonal basis, between May and
September, to coincide with the bathing season. Secondary
treatment of the effluent would continue to apply year-round.
Objectors were concerned that reducing the UV treatment to a
seasonal only basis would present a health risk to water users
outside that window.
Having conducted its own assessment and considered the evidence
from consultants appointed by Northumbrian Water, the Environment
Agency determined that varying the UV treatment on a seasonal
basis presented no risk to water quality at four of the six sites.
However it considered that at two sites, Howdon and Marske, there
would be a potential risk to water quality. The Agency has
therefore recommended that, to protect the wellbeing of water
users, year-round UV treatment should continue at Marske, and
seasonal variation at Howdon must be extended from the beginning
of April to the end of November.
The Secretary of State is satisfied with the Environment
Agency's assessment of the water quality impact, and with the
precautions it has proposed to protect water users. His decision
not to intervene means that the Agency will now issue the
variations of consents for four sites, issue a revised consent for
Howdon, and refuse the application for Marske.
The Environment Agency's decision document is available at
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk
Notes for Editors
1. The six sites which are the subject of Northumbrian
Water's applications are Marske, Seaton Carew, Billingham,
Howdon, Hendon, and Bran Sands.
2. The Environment Agency has assessed that under the approved
consents the discharges at all six sites will comply with the more
stringent water quality standards which must be met under the
Revised Bathing Water Directive. This came into force on 24 March
2006 and will be transposed into English law shortly. It sets
tighter microbiological standards than the current Directive, and
all bathing waters are expected to meet the new
'sufficient' standard by 2015.
3. Under the Water Resources Act 1991(the WRA), the Environment
Agency (the Agency) has responsibility for the regulation of
discharges to rivers, lakes, tidal, coastal and groundwaters in
England and Wales.
4. To make a discharge, it is a requirement under the WRA 91 to
make an application for consent from the Agency to discharge.
Most applications have to be advertised, and third parties have
the right to lodge representations or objections against the
application to the Agency before a decision is made.
5. The Act also provides objectors with a route to the Secretary
of State to request him to 'call in' an application if
they have continuing concerns about an application not already
addressed by the Agency. This is not a formal appeals mechanism,
but is a means of allowing objectors to draw cases to the
attention of the Secretary of State who considers each call in
request against established criteria. Depending on whether or not
the criteria are met, the Secretary of State can either call in an
application for his own determination or refuse the request, in
which case the application is returned to the Agency for determination.
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